This photograph shows the crowd gathered at what is now Queen’s Royal Park for the 1956 Canadian National Exhibition swim across Lake Ontario. Unlike Marilyn Bell’s successful crossing two years earlier, the 1956 event ended with no official finishers as swimmers battled rough conditions, cold water and exhaustion. On Sept. 9, 1954, 16-year-old Marilyn Bell became the first person to successfully complete a solo swim across Lake Ontario, covering 51.5 kilometres (31.4 miles) from Youngstown to Toronto. After learning that the Canadian National Exhibition had invited only an American swimmer to attempt the crossing, Marilyn entered unofficially and became the only swimmer to reach the finish. Today, the Lake Ontario crossing remains one of the world’s most challenging open-water swims. A plaque at the foot of King Street in Queen’s Royal Park honours those who have successfully completed the journey. Good luck to all of those who are planning on making the swim this summer.